


Down by the Pier

by LeFay_Strent



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: And Roman means well, Fluff, M/M, Patton's just a sweetheart, oh the fluff, really he does, virgil is a mute merman yet still so relatable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 02:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16904538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeFay_Strent/pseuds/LeFay_Strent
Summary: A dark head of hair rose out of the water followed by an equally dark set of eyes. The eyes blinked at Patton.Patton grinned from ear to ear. “Hey there, Virgil! Got any cool thingamajigs for me today?” By this point, the question was moot. Virgil always had something to show him nowadays.The dark eyes brightened and he sank quickly down, the action followed by a brief flip of a large purple fin breaking the surface before disappearing.





	Down by the Pier

The ocean breeze swept over Patton as he walked down the pier. It was a private pier back behind his beach house, so no one but him was around. The sun hung close to the sea as it did most days when Patton made time to stroll down the wood planks and plop himself down at the end. There were no clouds in the sky, just a ball of sunshine and the rays dancing mesmerizingly across the waves.

A dark head of hair rose out of the water nearby followed by an equally dark set of eyes. The eyes blinked at Patton.

Patton grinned from ear to ear. “Hey there, Virgil! Got any cool thingamajigs for me today?” By this point, the question was moot. Virgil always had something to show him nowadays.

The dark eyes brightened and he sank quickly down, the action followed by a brief flip of a large purple fin breaking the surface before disappearing. Patton didn’t have to wait long.

Virgil emerged once more, this time rising far enough to show his torso. It took many weeks of coaxing from Patton to get Virgil to even show his full face when they first met. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly embarrassed or overwhelmed, he still hid the bottom part of his face. Patton got the feeling he was self-conscious, seeing as his features weren’t exactly human, what with his slightly flat nose and too-wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Even when he half-hid his face like that though, his pointy ears could still be seen and Patton loved to see them flick this way and that.

In Virgil’s hand was a lump of material. He reached up with his free hand to grip the pier and pull himself up higher in order to hand it to Patton. This too was a sign of progress. When Virgil had eventually begun bringing him little gifts, he would leave them out on the pier before Patton even arrived. Patton would find pretty stones or other interesting things that had fell into the ocean waiting there for him. It was only after Patton picked them up and sat down that Virgil would show himself.

Patton took a moment to marvel at how Virgil had overcome most of his skittishness. Here he was, brave enough to finally hand things to him. Patton accepted the gift and smoothed it out to examine.

He laughed, “It’s a glove!” It was soggy and salt encrusted and Patton absolutely loved it.

Virgil hung from the edge of the peer by webbed fingers, giving a subdued chirp. He couldn’t talk exactly, his body built for the water. The closest sounds he could make reminded Patton of dolphins. That’s why Patton had to watch his face more to interpret what he meant. Luckily Virgil was very expressive.

“Yeah, I love it,” Patton confirmed. “Do you know what it’s for?”

Virgil’s knowledge of land-dwelling society was sketchy at best, but he was a smart cookie. He furrowed his brows in question while holding up his hand.

“Yeah! That’s right, kiddo!” Patton beamed, proud. “People wear them on their hands. They usually come in sets of two, for both hands. They help when it gets cold, or when you need to work with your hands, they protect them. This glove looks more like a work glove, judging from the material. See?”

Virgil watched him with wide eyes, completely enraptured to learn more about human life. From this close, Patton could see the purple tint to his eyes. They were somehow shinier than a human’s, if that made sense. It did in Patton’s head anyway.

Most of their afternoons passed like this, Virgil bringing things he’d find in the ocean and listening to Patton tell him all about them. Of course, they talked about a lot more than that. Virgil could get rather insistent, sometimes nudging Patton’s leg pointedly until he chuckled and told Virgil about his daily life. It wasn’t too different than other people’s lives, just him going to work five days out of seven a week, but Patton supposed they were almost like fairytales to someone like Virgil who had never seen such a world.

One day Patton got the idea to bring a friend to meet Virgil. If Virgil couldn’t come up onto the land and experience human life for himself, Patton would bring human life to him! Well, a single human life. And one that he trusted very well! Patton might be considered silly in some areas, but he wouldn’t endanger Virgil by bringing just anyone.

“And you’re sure he’s an actual merman? Not just some dedicated cosplayer?” Roman was asking him for the seventeenth time as they arrived at Patton’s house. 

Roman was a long-time friend and coworker of Patton’s, and today Patton had opened up and asked Roman to come meet his merfriend. If anyone would believe mythical creatures existed and not freak out (in a bad way anyway), it would be Roman. Roman who was too loyal and chivalrous to turn around and out Virgil’s existence to the world.

Rather than be annoyed by Roman’s constant questioning, Patton only became more excited. “He really is! He’s such a sweetheart too! Always bringing me stuff he finds in the ocean and wanting me to tell him stories.”

Roman shut the passenger’s side door with a frown, but there was an undeniable sheen of curiosity in his eyes. “Perhaps he’s bargaining with you then? Giving you treasures for stories?”

Patton laughed and came around to the front of the car. “No, it’s not really like that. He’s given me a few things, but most of the time he just wants to share his things with me. He’s kinda protective of them.” It reminded Patton of a little kid wanting to show off their cool toys. Every time he’d show Patton something and hear all about it, Patton would give the item back and Virgil would look at it as if the value had somehow increased dramatically.

“And you said his name was Virgil?” Roman continued to question, letting himself be led around Patton’s house. “Odd name for a merfolk. How do you even know it? I thought you said he couldn’t actually talk.”

“Oh, it was the cutest thing, Ro! I came down to the pier one day and there were these little shells left there that spelled out his name!”

“He knows how to write?”

“Well I don’t think the shells would have lined themselves up out of the goodness in their hearts. They can be kind of _shellfish_.”

Roman shook his head but smiled a little. “If this fish man truly exists, then he must have had someone teach him. Is it only him or has the merfolk as a society been taught? Wait a hot epiphany moment!” He stopped in his tracks, grabbing Patton by the shoulder and staring at him intensely. “Does this mean Atlantis exists?”

Patton shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. Guess you’ll get to ask him in a minute.”

They walked down the sturdy wooden planks. Roman looked all around them in the water, trying to keep a stern, skeptical face but Patton could tell he was jittery with excitement. They sat down at the end of the pier where Patton always sat.

And they waited . . .

“How do you summon him?” Roman asked, glancing around Patton as if he had a special conch shell or something.

“Usually I just sit here a minute and he pops up. Although I didn’t tell him I’d be bringing company today, so he might be shy . . .” It was a rather spur of the moment kind of thing, to tell Roman and bring him out. Maybe in hindsight he should have considered Virgil’s feelings more and asked beforehand.

“Well, it has already been two minutes so he is doubly late,” Roman declared. He sat there, arms and legs crossed, and leaned a little to the side to stare into the water. “Doesn’t he know it’s rude to keep a guest waiting?”

“Now, now Roman. You catch more flies with honey,” Patton said cheerfully. He cupped his mouth and called out. “Virgil! Kiddo! Won’t you come out to visit so I can introduce you to my friend Roman! I told him how cool you are and he’d love to meet you.”

“I suppose he is too intimidated to face me,” Roman said understandingly. “It’s alright, little water-ling, I too am sometimes overcome when I see that handsome fellow in the mirror." 

They waited a few minutes more, Patton trying to convince Virgil to come out of wherever he was hiding and Roman growing more skeptical. As time dragged on, disappointment settled heavy in Patton’s chest.

“He really does exist,” he muttered, mopey.

Roman sighed. “I too like to believe in the idea of magic and fairytales, but maybe this time you should ask yourself if perhaps you only thought you saw—”

Patton cut him off. “No! I didn’t just imagine him! We’ve been hanging out for months! I’ve seen his tail and scales and they’re _pretty_!”

“Well then why isn’t he here?” Roman asked, gesturing to the endless ocean. “We’ve been waiting half an hour now.”

“He’s probably just shy." 

Roman shook his head. “Look Patton, is there a real reason you brought me out here?”

Taken aback, Patton faltered. “I . . . what?”

“If you need to talk to me about something, or if you simply wanted to hang out with me, you can always tell me upfront.”

Roman was misunderstanding. Patton couldn’t help but get frustrated. “But I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“I’m not trying to accuse you of anything,” Roman assured, and honestly his tone didn’t sound confrontational. He really was trying to understand Patton. “It’s just that you tell me you’ve been talking to a merman for months and bring me to meet him, and when we’re here he doesn’t show.”

“We just need to wait a little longer,” Patton said quickly, more than a little desperate.

Roman heaved a tired sigh. “Patton, you know I care about you.”

He would have continued but Patton protested weakly. “He does exist. He’s my friend.”

In all the ways Patton thought today would go, he didn’t imagine Roman to not believe him and go so far as to think he fabricated the whole thing. Roman was a great friend, but so was Virgil, and Patton had only wanted for them to meet. Why couldn’t Roman see that? Why didn’t . . .

Why did Roman not trust him?

Patton realized a little too late that the hurt he felt manifested physically. Tears brimmed in his eyes and Roman wilted at the sight.

“Come now, Pat,” Roman tried and lifted a hand towards him. The hand never made it.

A fish came flying out of the ocean and smacked Roman in the face.

Patton flinched back, completely forgetting their conversation to gawk in bewilderment. Roman startled so badly that he scrambled back on his knees, gaping at the fish that now flopped against the floor of the pier.

“What the heckity heck?” Roman asked right before he was assaulted by another fish. He squawked and jumped to his feet, pointing down at the water from wince the fish was launched from. “How dare you?! Show yourself, whoever you are, you coward!”

Yards away, a familiar dark head rose from the ocean’s depths. Patton gasped in excitement but Roman had a far different reaction. He continued to point threateningly at his attacker.

“Who do you think you are? Throwing _fish_! Who even does that?” Roman asked, scandalized. “Rude people do, and you sir are a rude dude.”

Virgil lifted his face fully out of the water, baring his fangs for the world to see, and hissed. It wasn’t a cute kitty hiss either. It was pretty spooky actually.

Roman shrieked into the highest octave possible and dove behind Patton. He gripped onto Patton’s shoulders tightly, only making Virgil hiss all the more.

“Holy mother of Julie Andrews, what is that demon?!” Roman demanded. “Patton, we need to get out of here!”

“That’s Virgil!” Patton cheered in excitement. He waved enthusiastically at his favorite merman, calming him somewhat. He stopped hissing at least.

“You’ll need to move,” Roman carried on rambling, not listening to Patton and trying to tug him to run. “It’s alright, a beach house should be pretty easy to sell. Just leave out in the description that there are _water demons inhabiting the backyard_.”

“Roman!” Patton yelled over him. To get his attention, he pulled Roman’s hands together and held them between his. He smiled a slightly exasperated, yet no less happy smile. “I don’t need to move. This is Virgil! The merman I told you about. It’s alright, he won’t hurt you.”

“Patton, he threw _fish_ at me. At _me_!”

“Well I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

Virgil readied another fish. 

As Roman ducked behind Patton again, Patton couldn’t help but laugh. Not at Roman being scared, but in relief.

Virgil was here now. He could salvage this day after all.

 

* * *

 

It took some time, but Patton managed to get Virgil to stop throwing fish and Roman to stop hiding behind him. Virgil dipped down into the water where only his eyes showed, clearly displeased with Roman’s presence with the way he still glared at him. But the important part was that Virgil didn’t run away. He almost seemed . . . 

Awwww, it was like he was trying to protect Patton! He must have been watching them talk earlier and seen how upset Patton got, so he targeted Roman with the fish, the source of his distress.

“Thanks for coming out. I really appreciate it,” Patton told him, putting every ounce of gratitude he could in his words. Virgil, for his part, just glanced away and blew bubbles in the water.

They talked for a while after that, mostly Patton telling them about each other. It was so much fun to have his friends together, all of them hanging out! It was off to a slippery start, but Patton was sure they would become friends in no time.

“Is the great city of Atlantis real?” Roman demanded.

Virgil’s eyes squinted in confusion.

“Does Ariel still live?”

Virgil didn’t understand but rolled his eyes at Roman nonetheless, which Roman took as confirmation somehow.

They lingered until dark when it grew too late for Roman to stay. Patton drove him back into the city proper so he could go home, since Roman didn’t own a vehicle.

The next day, Patton returned to the pier once more, this time by himself. Virgil seemed really happy about that, because instead of handing Patton one of his ocean floor finds, he crossed his arms over Patton’s lap and laid his head down.

Patton was beside himself. Virgil didn’t usually like to be touched or show affection. He didn’t want to overwhelm the merman by touching him too much, but Virgil looked completely content where he was, and Patton couldn’t help himself. He sifted his fingers through Virgil’s hair, marveling at how strong and coarse the locks felt. With his other hand, he traced down the scales of Virgil’s bare back.

Virgil’s tail flopped around in the water, much like how dogs wag their tails.

“Well aren’t you just the _cutest_ thing ever!” Patton exclaimed, and acting on instinct he dove down and planted a kiss on top of Virgil’s head.

Virgil stilled completely. He hung there, so stiff that Patton froze himself. Just as Patton was about to apologize, Virgil nudged forward until Patton was forced to part his legs to give him more room. Virgil wrapped his arms around Patton’s torso and buried his face into his stomach. And yeah, Patton’s shirt and pants were getting wet, but he couldn’t care less as Virgil’s tail waved through the water like crazy.

Patton grinned and held him close. “Love you too, Virge.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's not like Virgil got jealous of Roman or anything. It's not like he thought Patton was going to replace him for a minute there by showing off his human friend. That'd be ridiculous, 'cause that'd be like Virgil being anxious that Patton will one day realize merfolk are freaky and stop showing up at the pier one day. 'Cause Virgil's TOTALLY not an anxious person....


End file.
